Samsung Galaxy Note10+ review
-
- Battery Score
3.5
- Camera Score
4.5
- Design Score
4
- Performance Score
4.5
- Battery Score
3.5
Summary
The Samsung Galaxy Note10+ brings a range of quite useful productivity features to Samsung's flagship phone, but battery life is still a concern.
- Distinct style
- Great display
- Great camera for most shooting situations
- S-Pen has good new features
- Plenty of processing power
- Where's my headphone jack?
- Air actions aren't all that accurate
- DeX on Mac is messy if you use other Android phones as well
- Battery life falls below other Android flagships
- 5G model is overpriced
Details
Pricing & Availability
RRP | $1,699 |
Launch date | 2019-08 |
Has it really been 10 years since the first Galaxy Note phone came to market?
No, it hasn't. Despite the name, and the fact that they're mostly annual upgrades, the very first 5.3-inch Galaxy Note was released back in 2011. The Galaxy Note10+ still keeps to Samsung's mantra of being a "productivity" phone thanks to the inclusion of the S-Pen and an extra-large display, although over the years, that's a distinction that's become increasingly blurred.
That's especially true in 2019, a year in which Samsung has released four Galaxy S10 models and has the Galaxy Fold waiting in the wings. The pressure on the Galaxy Note10+ to be more than just an iterative release is pretty intense.
Thankfully, for the most part, it delivers a great experience for the money, and jumps mostly over the S10 series if what you're after is a flagship productivity device.
Design
- Gorgeous 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED display
- Single hole-punch camera at the front
- Upside: No Bixby button!
- Downside: No headphone jack
Camera
- Quad camera array can deliver great images
- Samsung's best low-light camera to date, but not the best you can buy
- Excellent for video shooting
- AR Doodles are this year's gimmick
Performance
- Exynos 9825 plus 12GB of RAM equals power
- DeX can provide a productivity boost
- S-Pen handwriting recognition is astonishingly good
- Air Actions are a gimmick
Battery life
- 4,300mAh battery, but less stamina than other flagships
- Super-fast charging, but you'll have to pay extra for it
- Wireless PowerShare remains a gimmick
Verdict
- Samsung's best phone this year, but not without challengers
Pricing and availability
- Price: RRP starting at $1,699
- Where to buy: Amazon | The Good Guys | Samsung
Compare Galaxy Note10+ plans
Alternatives
Within the Samsung Note10 family, you've got two alternative options. The Galaxy Note10+ 5G is the exact same phone as the Galaxy Note10+, but with 512GB and onboard 5G capability. However, at $1,999 outright, it's a pricey upgrade just for 5G.
You could save a few bucks and opt for the smaller 6.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Note10. While it has much of the same feature set, you're getting an even smaller battery, less storage and no microSD card expansion, making it a tough recommendation in the lower end of the premium scale.
If you're after flagship camera performance, the phone to buy right now is the Huawei P30 Pro. The display isn't as large or sharp as the Note10+, and there's no stylus, but it truly stands alone for camera capabilities.
Specifications
Display
Camera
Physical Dimensions
Connectivity
Power, storage and battery
Device features
PMA
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